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I always thought this was a unique second chance movie until I read Soviet penal battalions used to clear mines & as cannon fodder when I was a teenager. Dirty dozen treated way more humanely. Says a lot between American & Russian armed forces.

I'm making a list of Dad DVDs - this is one of my father's favorites! Tough guys who were in military prison for various offenses get offered a suicide mission to go destroy a building that is frequented by top Nazi brass. Really a classic line-up of male stars in the 1960s. Lee Marvin is great as their commanding officer, John Cassavettes plays the non-conforming guy, Tele Savalas the nut job, Donald Sutherland (looking very young) the country hick, Jim Brown (famous football player at the time) the only black guy, Clint Walker who was a t.v. star (I didn't know of him) at the time and also a really tall guy (6'6"), and Trini Lopez who was a popular singer at the time, and Charles Bronson - professional tough guy. Can this collection of oddballs get it together to achieve their mission? The DVD extras are interesting, one is about a guy in the military who created a team known as the Filthy 13, who actually did some equally amazing tasks during WWII. Pretty violent and bloody, but no swearing (if they remade it today, it would be all swearing!) or sex (some ladies show up for entertainment at one point but there is no sex or nudity.) Classic Dad DVD in my book.

Lee Marvin is superb in this film, and the supporting performances by a long list of Hollywood's leading actors of the period were solid as well. Marvin plays an American officer during WWII who "volunteers" to take twelve military prisoners (the Dirty Dozen) and train them to perform actions against the Nazis behind enemy lines. It's a great story, it's told with plenty of humor, and there's never a dull moment.

If you love classic WWII films like The Great Escape, you will love this movie.
Based in WWII, 12 unruly soldiers will get a chance for absolution if they complete a dangerous mission into Nazi Germany.

Well, I mean, honestly. Lee Marvin blah blah blah Lee Marvin. I'd forgotten what a stud he was in this role. He also got phenomenal support.

7duffy
Mar 01, 2015

Still enjoyable. Although it does not have the realism of today's War movies, the DD is well done with an ensemble cast. I don't know if Telly Savalas has done anything better than his performance in this movie.

Lee Marvin heads a cast of Hollywood heavies in this unexceptional combat tale which nevertheless manages to entertain. Towards the end of WWII American army officer Major Reisman reluctantly agrees to head a suicide mission against an opulent French château crawling with Nazi bigwigs. His goal: kill as many Germans as possible, blow everything up, and then try to get back to Allied territory in one piece. Since chances of actually surviving the exercise are practically nil no soldier in his right mind is willing to volunteer therefore Reisman is assigned a makeshift platoon of men not in their right minds…namely a dozen hardcore military prisoners willing to sign up in exchange for having their sentences commuted. With only a few months to turn this ragtag unit of murderers, rapists, and head cases into a squad of elite paratroopers Reisman has his work cut out. But will they be able to destroy one of the most heavily fortified German outposts in Normandy on the eve of D-Day? And who (if any) will survive to tell about it? Even if its standard wartime script lacks any real chemistry or tension and the action occasionally comes across as darker Disney fare (although a fiery “final solution” ploy is pretty grotesque) Dozen’s 2½ hour running time is nicely paced and some elaborate pyrotechnics provide an adequate payoff. Besides, it’s fun to watch some of yesterday’s stars doing what they do best; though in this case their best is not quite good enough.

Green_Bird_203
Feb 03, 2014

I miss Lee Marvin. What a wonderful character actor!

aaa5756
Jan 16, 2014

Very well done movie. A pleasure to watch. I would recommend this movie for all to see. No fast forwarding on this one. No falling asleep on this DVD!!!!!

Summary

It is 1944 and the Allied Armies stand ready for a major invasion of Germany from bases in England. As a prelude to D-Day, US Army Intelligence orders a top secret mission where convicted criminals will be offered a pardon in return for parachuting into the Reich on a suicide mission.